Container, carton, and the like



Feb. 14, 1939. 7

W. J. BUTLER CONTAINER, CARTON. AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 28, 1936 Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE assignor to Kleentainers (British droves-seas) Ltd., Bromleyflkent, England, a British com- Application October 28, 1936, Serial No. 108,075 In Great Britain November 1, 1685 zciaims.

This invention relates to containers of the type formed from flexible material, for example cartons formed from paper which may subsequently be waxed, or containers formed from wood, pulp, sheet metal and the like and has for its object to provide such containers of an improved construction. Such containers have a closed bottom which is circular, oval, polygonal or other shape in plan and the upper end of the container is m originally left open for filling purposes, but this upper end is adapted to be subsequently closed when desired by brinzing together in a wedgelike manner the edges thereof and securing them together, preferably by means of a clip, with or without the folding-over of a portion of such ends,

and this cloflng operation, in the type of containers with which the invention is concerned, causes the base of the container, that is to say that part of the lower end thereof which is ina tended to contact with a supporting surface, to

- be distorted.

Containers have hitherto been produced wherein the base has consisted of a substantially rigid structure obtained by employing comparatively stout material for forming the parts thereof and providing a rolled edge or rim and with this class of container there has been no distortion of the base when the upper end of the container has been brought to the closed position.

However, containers of the type to which the present invention relates do not possess such a rigid base structure with the result that if such containers are so constructed as to stand upon a stable or firm base when the upper end thereof 30 is in the open position, when the upper end is closed in a wedge-like manner the distortion brought about by this closing operation causes the base to be distorted out of its normal fiat plane so that the-container would be liable to rock or stand in an undesirable and insecure manner upon the supporting surface.

Now, according to the present invention a container of the type formed from flexible material and with which the action of the closing the upper end thereof in the manner described causes the base of the container, that is to say that'part of the lower end of the container which is intended to contact with a supporting surface, to be distorted, is characterized by the fact that said base,- when the upper end is open, defines an arched figure-so that when said upper end is in closed position said base is then disposed in a flat plane as a result of the distortion brought about by the closing action. Thus, containers constructed according to the invention will, when the upper end thereof is closed, stand in a stable and firm manner upon a fiat supporting surface and all liability of rocking is obviated.

In order that the invention can be fully appre- 5 ciated it is proposed to more particularly describe by way of example a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows somewhat diagrammatically an 10 elevational view of a container of the type to which the invention relates and constructed in the manner hereinbefore known.

Fig. 2 is a similar elevational view of the container shown in Fig. l but with the normally 1; open upper end thereof in closed position.

Fig. 3 shows somewhat diagrammatically an elevational view of a container constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a similar elevational view of the congo tainer shown in Fig. 3 but with the normally open upper end thereof in closed position.

Fig. 5 is a face view of a paper sheet suitable for producing a container possessing the principal feature of the invention.

Fig. 6 is an elevational view partly in section of the tubular portion of a carton produced by folding the paper sheet shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. I is an elevational view taken at rightangles to that of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a view taken from the upper end of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a bottom suitable for incorporation in the tubular member shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, said bottom member being shown-on an enlarged scale with respect to said Figs. 6, '7 and 8.

Fig. 10 is an under-side plan view of Fig. 9, and

Fig. 11 is a sectional detail view showing how the bottom member shown in Figs. 9 and 10 is secured to the tubular member shown in Figs.

6, '7 and 8.

Referring to Figs. 1 and fl the carton hitherto produced comprises a tubular portion l2, a closed base portion II and a normally open upper end it. This normally open upper end I4 is adapted to be closed when desired by means of a clip or otherwise and when in this closed position the tubular portion I! of the container takes the shape indicated in Fig. 2, the reference l5 indi- 5o eating the closed end of the container to which the clip or other device is adapted to be fitted so as to retain the end in closed position.

With such containers as hitherto produced the base I! has been disposed in a fiat plane when u upper end is brought to the closed position the base I3 is distorted in the manner clearly indicated in Fig. 2 with the result that the carton is liable to rock or stand in an undesirable insecure manner upon the supporting surface which is indlcated at l8. This liability to rocking and general instability is due to the fact that the base I3 is no longer disposed in a flat plane.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4 which show a container constructed in accordance with the present invention it will be observed that the closed base portion ll has'a desired arched formation, or in other words that part of the lower end of the container which is intended to contactwith the supporting surface defines an arched figure with respect to such supporting surface, when the upper end of the container I8 is in open position. p

when, however, the normally open upper end of the container is in closed position as is indicated at IS in Fig; 4 the distortion of the base I! brought about by the closing action functions to distort the base in such a way that it is then disposed in a flat plane, as will be clearly evident upon reference to Fig. 4.

It will be appreciated therefore that containers constructed according to the invention and when the normally open upper end thereof is in closed position, will stand in a stable and firm manner upon any flat supporting surface and that all liability to rocking'or insecurity will be obviated.

Containers according to the invention can be produced with bases of any suitable shape in plan, for example circular, oval or of any desired polygonal shape. Moreover such shape may be consistent from the base to the top, when the container is unfilled or such shape may vary from the base to the top, for example in certain cases the section from the base to the top may converge or diverge.

Where of divergent shape, and although the divergence may be but slight, this. characteristic will permit empty containers readily to be nested together one within the other, thus greatly reducing bulk for the purpose of transport of storage.

As previously stated containers according to the invention can be produced from any desired suitable flexible material, but according to one preferred embodiment of the invention a con-- tainer having a circular base and a tubular body portion which diverges from the base to the normally open top isformed from paper. The tubular body portion is obtained by folding over and sealing together the folded-over edges of a paper sheet blank. This paper sheet blank has the shape shown in Fig. 5 to the accompanying drawing, the edge 20 of this sheet being adapted to form the rim of the normally open upper end of the tubular membenwhilst the'oppositely disposed edges 2! and 22 are adapted to be folded with said fiat plane at two diametrically opposite points, namely the portions indicated at 24 in Figs. 6 and 7. This desired arched formation of the lower end of the tubular member is obtained by suitably shaping the edge 25 of the paper sheet as indicated in Fig. 5.

This tubular member which it should be noted diverges from the lower end to the upper end is adapted to receive and retain a bottom member at its lower end which serves to close said lower end.

Such a bottom member is indicated in Figs. 9 and 10 and consists of a circular disc 26 which is provided with a turned-down flange 21. It should be noted that this disc 26 and the flange 21 are of .desired arched formation and this arched formation corresponds with the arched shaping of the lower end of the tubular member. The flanged disc is adapted to be inserted within the lower end of the tubular member and a portion of such lower end turned inwardly as is clearly indicated in Fig. 11 so as to secure the flanged disc in position and thus constitute a bottom for the container.

When thus completed it will be observed that the part 28 of the lower end of the container which is intended to contact with the supporting surface defines an arched figure with respect to such supporting surface.

If desired two or more tubular members can be arranged one within the other to constitute the wall of a container, whilst moreover two or more flanged disc bottom members may be incorporated with such tubular member and that in any case it is to be understood that the particular method of producing any portion or part of the container does not form a feature of the present invention.

As shown by the accompanying drawing the arched shaping of the lower end of the container preferably conforms to a somewhat curved surface such as that of a portion of a curved surface of a cylinder. However in some cases the arched formation may be of an angular nature as distinguished from an arch of a curved character.

Furthermore it will be observed that with the particular embodiment shown on the drawing the normally open upper end is closed by bringing the upper edges together in a diametric line of contact, but in some cases the closing of the normally open upper end may be obtained in other ways which may or may not require a corresponding modiflcation of the arch formation of the lower end of the carton, but in any case it is to be understood that the shaping which deflnes the arched figure may ifdesired include more than one arched span.

It will of course be appreciated that the degree of arching of the lower end of the container will vary with the height of the container and with other appropriate dimensions thereof.

As an alternative to obtaining the desired arched formation during the process of producing the various parts of the container, such arched formation of the contacting part of the lower end thereof may be obtained by a final operation with punch, die or other tools which will force such contacting part to take the desired arched formation,

The invention is not limited to the precise forms or details of construction described as these may be varied to suit particular requirements without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent or the United States 01' America is:-

1. A tubular carton of the type formed from flexible material and with which the action 01 closing the normally open upper end thereof causes that part of the lower end 01' the carton which is intended to contact with a supporting surface to be distorted, characterized by the fact that said contacting part, when the upper end is open, defines an arched figure with respect to the supporting surface so that when said upper end is in closed position said contacting part is then disposed in a flat plane as a. result of the distortion brought about by the closing action, said carton including a base member secured within the lower portion of a tubular body part, wherein said base member has an arched shaping which corresponds to that of the said contacting part when the upper end of the carton is open.

2. A container of the type formed from flexible material and with which the action of closing, by bringing together in a wedge-like manner the upper end thereof, causes the base to be distorted, characterized by the fact that it includes an inserted bottom member which, when the said upper end is open, defines an arched figure so that. when said upper end is in closed position, the bottom member is then disposed in a fiat plane as a result of the distortion brought about by the closing action.

WILLIAM JOSEPH BUTLER. 

